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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24129400">often lies are kindly meant</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dledee/pseuds/dledee'>dledee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Background Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough - Freeform, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, POV Alternating</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:36:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,524</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24129400</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dledee/pseuds/dledee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>SOLDIER 1ST CLASS ZACK FAIR STATUS: missing in action, presumed dead</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>often lies are kindly meant</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="small">          ❝ I’ll be back later. ❞  She calls going out the door on her way to the church. It’s a quiet day, the sun shining through the gaps in the plate and maybe today Zack will be back from his mission and meet her at the church like he promised! This mission seem like it’s taking forever but she doesn’t need to worry, he promised he’d come back to her after all and he’s the sort to keep his promises. But the smile on her lips doesn’t last long, Tseng waiting to meet her outside her house with the same unreadable expression he always wears. She hopes she’s not in for another lecture on ShinRa riches and saving the world, he does like to try his luck every now and again but not today, today she’s not in the mood to listen about how she has a responsibility to the world as the last of the Cetra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">         ❝ If you want anything from me you’re gonna have to accompany me to the church, I’m late already. ❞  But he doesn’t answer, doesn’t pull that little smile he always pulls when she gives him the run around. That gives her pause, makes her stop in her spot, brows furrowing in confusion, some sort of restlessness settling in as she waits for him to speak. Is this the day he decides he’s tired of waiting? That he doesn’t need her to agree to be taken, after all? Her eyes look back to the house, if it is then she hopes he at least lets her say goodbye to her mother, don’t leave her worrying about when she’ll be back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             Tseng is searching for the right words, the ones that won’t dim her brightness, that won’t make her hate him for too long for being the bearer of bad news.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             This is taking too long…  ❝ What? ❞  The impatience gets the best of her, if he has something to say he better get it over with or she’s just gonna go about her day, weeds don’t pull themselves out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             He shifts, straightens his shoulders, puts his hands behind him, professional stance.  ❝ I regret to inform you that SOL— ❞  No.  ❝ Zack. Zack has gone missing in action after an incident with his latest mission… ❞  He takes a moment as if to let her catch her breath, as if she has any breath to catch after something like that.  ❝ ShinRa is officially labelling him as presumed dead. I thought you’d want to know. I… I’m sorry. ❞ </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             Her entire face is ice, frozen as she stops herself from breaking down into tears right here and now. No, he doesn’t get her tears. Instead her hands ball into fists, nails digging into her skin as if that will keep her grounded as she processes the information. No.  ❝ Is that all? ❞  That is all she can bring herself to say as she fakes a smile.  ❝ Thank you so much for letting me know, you should go inform his actual family next. ❞  Does he think this to be a kindness? To inform her of what’s the official word when she’s technically nothing to him? He’s a friend, it’s not like they were planning on running off to get married or anything, there’s no reason for ShinRa to inform her of what’s going on when she’s nothing to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             She turns around before giving him the time to say anything else.  ❝ I forgot something, I need to go back in. ❞  Her pace is brisker than usual as she goes back and at the same time more controlled, trying as hard as possible not to break down. No, he doesn’t get to break her, not like they did at ShinRa, not like when they wanted her to draw and draw and draw. She ignores her mother calling out her name and goes straight to her bedroom closing the door behind her, grabbing the nearest pillow and just SCREAMING into it. This can’t be happening, not him, not again!</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             Only now do the tears start streaming down her face as she slowly undoes the shock, as she lets herself unravel. How dare you?! She wants to scream at the sky outside her window, at the sun shining down on her flowers as if the world should carry on as usual, as if they didn’t just take yet someone else from her, the only person other than her mother she has dared grown close to, a false sense of security in his SOLDIER status because surely if someone can avoid death it’s a SOLDIER.  ❝ I HATE you. ❞  And she’s not sure if it’s the sky or Tseng or Zack she’s saying it to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             Elmyra isn’t used to her daughter doing this, to not replying when she calls, to closing the door and refusing to talk to her… Well, not ever since the first time the man in the suit came around telling her she was an Ancient, she suspects that’s who she’ll find if she walks out the door so that’s just what she does. Finds him still glued to the spot as if not sure what to do next.  ❝ What did you tell her? ❞  A mother will always do whatever it takes to protect their child and Aerith is all she has left in this world. She understands why ShinRa keeps insisting she’s some sort of special due to her real heritage but to her she’s her daughter, that’s all she needs to be to special and precious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             Tseng can’t say he expected the mother to come, finally that half smile comes to his lips.  ❝ Zack. The SOLDIER friend you daughter has. ❞  He’s not sure how much Elmyra knows, can’t know how much does Aerith tell the mother who had no idea she was Ancient until he tracked her down.  ❝ ShinRa has updated his status to  ❛ presumed dead ❜,  I thought it would be kinder to inform her… I wonder… ❞  His gaze moves to the upper floor where he guesses she has sequestered herself. She may be an Ancient but she’s also a teenager. Maybe it would’ve been kinder to have left her with the hope that he’d come back but now it’s too late to take it back.  ❝ I’ll be going now. ❞  He’ll be back at some point. He knows it, Elmyra knows it, and Aerith knows it, but maybe he’s caused enough damage for today, let her have the room to pull herself together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             Elmyra sits at the table downstairs waiting and waiting and waiting for Aerith to come down, to talk about what has happened. This is the same little girl who told her her husband was gone all those years ago when she didn’t understand how she could know these things, could she really not have felt it if that SOLDIER was truly gone too? She can’t say she liked Zack too much, too loud, too optimistic considering his chosen career path had tragedy written all over it but Aerith liked him, she understands that much. Finally she moves to start on dinner, one of her girl’s favourites, if there’s any day she needs something like this… And she hopes the scent will bring her down, it won’t do for her to just lock herself away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             It takes until she’s almost done with dinner to hear the girl shuffle down, move around her picking up plates and cutlery to set down the table without a word. She doesn’t have the pep in her step she usually does as she goes through the motions but although her eyes are red they have no more tears, Aerith would say she’s all out of tears to cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">          ❝ He’s lying. ❞  Aerith’s voice is low but sure as she breaks the silence, as sure as a Cetra can be of who is and isn’t in the lifestream.  ❝ I know he’s lying. ❞  She says again to make sure the both of them are reminded that no matter what Tseng says, no matter how he insists that he’ll wait for her to accept his proposal he can’t be trusted with anything. He’s lying and she’s gonna figure out a way of making him admit to it. How dare he play with her like this? Does he think this is how he will bring her to ShinRa? By killing the people she loves and giving her no reason to stay here? Her eyes land on her mother, pauses for a moment. Would they? Would they target her? Or do they know if they do she’ll be out of reasons to stay in Midgar and they’ll have to start all over? Maybe she should make it clearer to Tseng, that if he ever touches her mother they won’t see her ever again.  ❝ Try to stay away from them, will you, mom? ❞  She puts her arms around her mother’s waist, leans against her back.  ❝ I don’t want you getting hurt. ❞  <em>Not you too</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="small">             She moves away, brings back the smile to her face. No more tears. Not for them.  ❝ This smells great. Thank you, mom. ❞  She’s gonna be okay, she’s gonna figure this out, somehow. ShinRa doesn’t get to break her, not like they did with her mother.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hopefully I didn't butcher anyone involved in this.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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